Darling, Don't You Ever Grow Up
by DARecruit
Summary: Shelby looks back over the years of some of the most memorable moments spent raising Rachel, along with best friend LeRoy Berry and husband Hiram. This is a one shot of what Rachel's life could have been if she had grown up with three loving parents. Shelby and Rachel centric.


**Hello Readers! I know I've been a bit MIA, and I know this isn't the story that many of you are anxiously waiting for (Chapter 13 for Open Arms is coming along slowly). I've had some HUGE changes in my life recently, the least of which are a new job hunt and preparing to move to a new State. So, needless to say, that's taken up all of my time. **

**My inspiration for this one shot came one day while driving and listening to the radio. Taylor Swift's _Never Grow Up_ started playing, and my mind started wandering. I had to explore a scenario in which Shelby had always been in Rachel's life. I hope you all enjoy it!**

* * *

**Darling, Don't You Ever Grow Up**

Sweaty and exhausted from sixteen hours of labor, Shelby Corcoran lay in the hospital bed at _Lima Memorial Hospital_ on December 18, 1994. It was a perfect moment. Nestled in her arms was her tiny baby girl, and beside her was her best friend in the entire world.

Good looking and sweet, LeRoy Berry had been besides Shelby since diapers. Their mothers were both best friends, so it was no wonder their children turned out to be the same. The two had shared so many memories together, so many firsts—first day of school, first school dance, first college party. But today was their biggest first yet: the birth of their child.

This moment hadn't been planned. Shelby had never thought for a second that she would get pregnant the very first time she slept with someone. The twenty-two year old had simply wanted to lose her virginity to someone she trusted, and loved. LeRoy had felt the same way, and the two had decided that they wanted to share that with each other. Neither of them was under any delusions that they would get together because they slept together, or were going to be parents together. Shelby perhaps would have been open to dating, but LeRoy had come out earlier that year. Still, her first time had been everything she had ever imagined it would be, and she would always be grateful to LeRoy for sharing that with her.

"She's beautiful, Shelbs," LeRoy said, smiling broadly.

"She has your eyes," Shelby replied, her eyes never leaving her angel's perfect little face. "Rachel Barbra Berry," she said, finally meeting LeRoy's eyes and smiling.

"Wha—Shelbs, are you sure?" LeRoy sputtered. The two had decided on the baby's name months ago—LeRoy had always loved the name Rachel, and Shelby had wanted to name her Barbra after the talented Ms. Streisand—but hadn't really talked about her last name.

"Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I…We…We aren't married. I just thought—" LeRoy began, falling over his words. He cleared his throat and tried again, "She doesn't need to have my name. She can take yours, if that's what you want."

Shelby laughed and nudged her friend. "I love you, LeRoy. You're my best friend—the best one I'll ever have. I want our daughter to have your last name. And that way, there will always be a part of me connected to you," she said, her voice cracking slightly.

"Rachel Barbra Berry it is then," LeRoy said, his eyes swimming with tears.

**Darling * Darling * Darling **

Shelby sat by her window, watching anxiously for Hiram and LeRoy to pull up with Rachel. The men had kept the girl the night before and for most of the day to celebrate the girl's third birthday together. It was the first year that Shelby hadn't woken her baby by singing Happy Birthday, but Shelby had needed Rachel out of the house in order to finish her surprise.

"Hi Shelbs," LeRoy greeted, engulfing Shelby in a bear hug.

Shelby wrapped her arms around LeRoy's waist and nestled her head in his neck. His _Old Spice_ cologne never failed to bring a smile to her face.

"Good morning, Shelby," Hiram greeted as he came in the door carrying Rachel.

Shelby smiled at the man and returned his greeting. Hiram had been in LeRoy's life for almost three years now. The two had met on New Years Eve in 1998, just weeks after the birth of Rachel, and had hit it off right away. They were married a year and a half later, and Hiram was now just as important to Shelby as LeRoy was. Together, she and the men were raising Rachel so the girl would grow up with three loving, doting parents to support her.

"Mommy! Mommy! Mama!" Rachel squealed as soon as she caught sight of her mother. She wiggled in Hiram's arms to be put down.

Shelby's heart soared at her daughter's voice, and she shook her head slightly at her antics. Mother and daughter could be parted for one day or one minute and the girl reacted the same every time.

Hiram bent down to set Rachel on her feet, and she was off and running before she was all the way on the ground. She squealed as she ran full tilt towards her waiting mother, launching herself at the woman without a second thought as to whether or not she would be caught. Her mommy always caught her.

Sure enough, Shelby's strong arms caught the girl in mid-leap and pulled her close as the toddler giggled gleefully. "Do it 'gan!" Rachel said, leaning forward to put both hands on her mother's face. She always liked squishing her cheeks together.

Shelby laughed and made her "fish face" for her little girl, puckering her lips and making eyes at Rachel. "Mama!" the girl squealed, wrapping her chubby little arms around Shelby's neck.

"Did you have fun at Dad and Daddy's house last night?" Shelby asked, rocking Rachel back and forth.

"We watched the Wizard of Oz. I don't like the Wicky Witch, Mommy. She scary," Rachel replied in a serious tone. "Dorfy melteded her."

"She did. And then she found her way home, didn't she?" Shelby replied with a kiss to Rachel's nose.

"She wants ruby slippers now, by the way," Hiram chuckled.

"We'll see what we can do about that," said Shelby as she put Rachel down and watched the girl run to her toys.

"How was your night?" LeRoy asked, "Did you get everything set up?"

"Yes, I did! Katie came over to help me with the finishing touches. I can't wait to show Rachel!" Shelby gushed, grinning from ear to ear. She knew her daughter was just going to love her birthday surprise.

"Rachie," Shelby called, "Mommy has a surprise for you! Do you want to go see it now?"

Rachel, who was busy checking on her babies that she had to leave the night before when she went to her daddies' house, snapped her head up when she heard her mommy mention a surprise. She looked down at her baby who was in need of a diaper change and then back up at her mother, trying to decide which was more important in this moment.

Shelby chuckled to herself as she watched her toddler look at her baby doll and up at Shelby and back again. The girl tossed the doll back into its crib and ran over to her mother, holding her arms out for Shelby to pick her up.

"Close your eyes," said Shelby right before she reached her daughter's room. Hiram and LeRoy were following mother and daughter with their video camera to capture Rachel's reaction.

"Don't peek!" LeRoy added with a chuckle.

"I not!" Rachel whined, kicking her legs in anticipation. She had tried to sneak and keep her eyes really squinty so that she could see what her mommy was about to show her.

"Okay, you can open them!" Shelby said excitedly, unable to wait to see her daughter's reaction any longer.

Rachel's eyes popped open the minute her mother gave her the go ahead, and Shelby swore they were going to pop right out of her head they were so big.

Rachel screamed. None of the parents were quite ready for that reaction from their toddler. They all knew their child was already dramatic, but this took the cake—and luckily, LeRoy had caught it on tape to show their girl when she was older.

"A big girl bed! I got a big girl bed!" Rachel shouted, literally shaking with excitement.

Shelby moved her head so her ear wasn't right next to the screaming, wiggly child in her arms as she put Rachel down on the ground.

Rachel bolted towards the twin-sized bed, climbed up onto it, and then began to bounce—because what else would you do with your first big girl bed?

Rachel would have been completely content to stay up in her room and bounce on her new bed all day, but her parents finally coaxed her out with the promise of birthday cake and presents.

The toddler had played the day away with her little friends, opened presents, and ate almost her entire weight in birthday cake. All three sets of grandparents, as well as Shelby's older sister Katie with her husband Jason, and their two children, Liam and Sophie, came to celebrate Rachel's special day. Rachel was so excited to see her Mommom and Pop, Grandma and Grandpa, and Nana and Papa—not to mention her favorite cousins (they were her only cousins, but Rachel said that didn't stop them from being her favorite)—all at once. Besides her birthday and holidays, Rachel didn't get to see her entire family all at the same time. Rachel liked them all together, and she told them so—loudly and frequently.

The girl was now sitting quietly in the living room, watching an episode of _Sesame Street _while eating a small slice of birthday cake. The guests had long ago gone their separate ways, and it was then again just mother and daughter.

Shelby came back into the living room and laughed. Rachel had purple frosting in her hair, but it didn't seem to bother her at all.

"How about a bath, little one?" Shelby said as she opened her arms wide. Rachel looked up and smiled at her mother, her mouth a mess of chocolate cake and white and purple frosting.

Rachel splashed and played with her toys while Shelby worked on defrosting her child.

"Are you excited to sleep in your big girl bed tonight, Rachie?" Shelby asked as she washed the soap off of Rachel's back.

"Yes Mommy, I very excited," Rachel said, smacking her hand down on the water.

Rachel was now soap and frosting free, so Shelby pulled the stopper in the tub before lifting the dripping toddler out and wrapping a towel around her.

Rachel wiggled and bounced up and down in her excitement to be tucked into her new big girl bed. "Read stowry, Mama!" she begged once her mother had her dressed in her Little Mermaid footie pajamas.

"What story would you like, princess?" Shelby asked as she picked her baby up and carried her into the girl's bedroom and her big girl bed.

"Velvety Wabbit," said Rachel, snuggling down under the blankets her mommy had pulled up around her.

Shelby groaned internally. Rachel loved her "Velvety Wabbit" story. Shelby liked the story very much too, but no matter how many hundreds of thousands of times Shelby had read _The Velveteen Rabbit_, she always wound up a teary mess by the end of the story.

Shelby fetched the book and snuggled up next to her girl in the bed, handing Rachel her Tigger toy as she did. Much like the Velveteen Rabbit, Rachel's Tigger was well loved. His orange fur had dulled in the three years that Rachel had owned him, and his head wobbled limply from side to side from the girl hugging him so tightly at night.

Opening the book, Shelby began to read. She had barely gotten halfway through the story when she looked over and noticed her little princess had fallen fast asleep. Smiling, Shelby marked the page so they could return to it tomorrow and climbed off the bed.

"Goodnight, my darling," she whispered, kissing her daughter's cheek.

**Darling * Darling * Darling **

Twelve-year-old Rachel sat in the back of her mother's _Jeep Grand Cherokee_, waiting impatiently for the light to turn green. She was being dropped off at the movie theatre to meet her friends Kurt and Jenna. It was the first time her parents were letting her go without adult supervision, and Rachel was beyond excited.

Shelby was a complete basket case in the front seat, but she was trying her best to keep her crazies under wraps so as to not embarrass her pre-teen. Rachel had perfected the eye-roll in the last couple of months and was starting to become embarrassed at every little thing Shelby did recently it seemed. The mother sighed as she peered into the rearview mirror at her not-so-little little girl.

As much as she'd love to keep Rachel little forever, there was just no way Shelby could stop her child from growing. She had already tried. Her girl was quickly leaving childhood and entering adolescence, complete with attitude and hormone imbalances.

"Ugh, this is taking _forever_!" Rachel whined from the back.

"There's still plenty of time, Rachie," Shelby said gently.

"_Mom_, don't call me that!" Rachel complained, rolling her eyes at her mother. "I'm not a little kid anymore."

Shelby sighed. She kept forgetting that Rachel didn't like her nickname anymore. She did try her best to catch herself, however, there were times, like now, when it just slipped out. After all, Rachel would _always_ be her little girl, her Rachie.

"Sorry, honey. You know I'm trying," Shelby said, trying to pacify her child.

"Whatever," sulked Rachel, crossing her arms with a huff.

Shelby made eye contact with her child in the mirror and raised an eyebrow. "Watch your attitude, Rachel. I have no problem turning this car around right now and heading home," she warned.

"Mom, no!" Rachel said, immediately sitting up and unfolding her arms. The little scowl she had just been wearing was gone and in it's place a perfectly angelic face stared back at Shelby in the mirror.

"We've talked about the whatever remark, Rach. I don't like it. I don't want to hear it from you anymore, ok?" Shelby said.

"Yes, ma'am," Rachel mumbled, hanging her head. She hated being scolded, even when it was gentle like her mom had just done. Rachel just did not like upsetting or disappointing anyone, and the guilt she felt at doing so ate her to bits.

Shelby had just pulled up to the front of the theatre and turned to smile at her daughter. "Have fun, kiddo. And remember, I'm going to pick you up in two and a half hours right here," she said.

"Ok, Mom," Rachel said as she unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted towards the passenger side of the car to get out.

"Hey," Shelby stopped Rachel before she opened the door. "Give me a kiss."

"Moooom," Rachel groaned, glancing out the window quickly to make sure none of her friends were standing around. She quickly sat forward so her mom could kiss her on the cheek. She was just about to turn to get out of the car when her mom tugged her back by her hoodie.

"I love you, Rachel," said Shelby, with another quick peck on the girl's cheek.

"I love you too, Mom," Rachel said hurriedly, having just spotted Kurt at the doors. "I gotta go!"

Shelby sighed and watched as Rachel ran towards her friends, and then, laughing and pushing, the three pre-teens entered the doors and were out of Shelby's sight.

As Shelby drove away, she couldn't help but be sad that her baby was growing up much too fast. "Let her stay little just a bit longer," she said in a soft prayer, a tear winding it's way down her cheek.

**Darling * Darling * Darling **

Shelby parked her car on the side of the road and jumped out without even turning the engine off. Huffing, she quickly pulled the keys from the ignition and rushed towards the small group of people huddled across the street.

"Rachel! Rachel!" she yelled, having finally spotted her sixteen-year-old standing off to the side next to a police officer.

"Mom! I didn't mean to hit the other car! I'm sorry," she cried as soon as she saw her mother. She latched onto her mother and buried her head in her mom's shoulder as soon as she could. "I wrecked the car!"

"Baby, it was an accident. It's ok. Are you ok? Does anything hurt?" Shelby said, managing to pull Rachel back so she could check her over for any injuries.

"I'm ok, Mama," Rachel said, still crying.

"Are you sure? Where are your fathers?" Shelby said, now searching for the two men.

"Dad's gonna kill me. I wrecked the car!" sobbed the teenager.

"He won't kill you. Cars can be replaced. You can't," Shelby soothed, rubbing her daughter's back in an effort to calm her down.

"Are you mad?" asked Rachel, glancing up at her mother.

"I'm not mad, sweetie. I'm just so glad you are safe," said Shelby.

Shelby finally spotted Hiram and LeRoy over near the smashed-in _Toyota Camr_y they let Rachel drive, talking to the man she had rear-ended and two police officers. Shelby noticed that they kept looking over at the pair of them, and they both were looking increasingly angry. Shelby tried to read LeRoy and figure out just what the heck was going on. She couldn't imagine that either he or Hiram would be angry with Rachel because of the accident—it was an _accident_, after all. Was she particularly pleased that her daughter had rear-ended someone? No, of course not, but that was because she had been terrified Rachel would be hurt—or the other person involved in the accident had gotten hurt.

Rachel was just starting to calm down at the knowledge that her mother wasn't angry with her and perhaps she would escape punishment when her fathers came storming over to the pair of them and LeRoy cleared his throat loudly. Rachel winced and held onto her mother more tightly, hoping the woman would protect her from her fathers.

"Rachel, do you have something to say for yourself, young lady?" LeRoy asked, crossing his arms and staring at his sixteen-year-old.

Rachel gulped and squirmed in her mother's arms.

"LeRoy, what's wrong?" Shelby asked, absentmindedly rubbing Rachel's back again.

"Ask your daughter just what happened that caused her to wreck the car," LeRoy said, unable to keep the anger from his voice.

"I know she rear-ended the car in front of her. Really, LeRoy, it was just an accident. These things happen," said Shelby.

"Did she also tell you that she was texting and driving and _that's_ why she wasn't able to stop before hitting the car in front of her?" LeRoy asked, his voice escalading.

Rachel stiffened in her mother's arms and her tears came faster. Crap crap crap!

Shelby couldn't believe what LeRoy had just said. Surely Rachel hadn't…But the girl had gone stiff as a board in her arms and was acting guilty. Shelby sighed and pulled Rachel back to arm's length so she could see her face.

"Rachel?" she asked, wanting to hear what her daughter had to say.

Rachel looked to each of her parents to see if any would be on her side in this. Both of her fathers were giving her stern looks, while her mother still looked sympathetic. Rachel figured she'd be safest with her mother at this point. "Mama, I swear it was an accident."

"Were you texting and driving, Rachel?" Hiram asked, wanting a straight answer from their daughter.

Rachel met her mother's eyes and gave her a pleading look. "Mama," she started slowly, still sobbing, "Remember you said you weren't mad at me."

"Rachel," LeRoy said in warning.

"I-I…It was only a quick t-text. It h-happened so quickly! It was an accident!" cried Rachel, hanging her head. She couldn't bear to look at any of her parents right now. She knew she was in trouble. Guilt twisted at her stomach and she felt it rise in her belly to her chest where it pulsed there like it was going to burst from her at any moment.

"Give me the keys to the car. You have lost your driving privileges for the foreseeable future," LeRoy demanding, stretching his palm out.

Rachel shakily pulled the keys out of her jeans pocket and handed them over to her irate father.

Shelby's head was spinning. Anger coursed through her veins, but she was trying to remain calm. She needed to keep her wits about her. She was planning on punishing Rachel for her recklessness, but before any of that could happen, she needed to make sure that her daughter was 100% ok. She had been planning on taking the girl to the hospital as soon as things were settled here anyway. She would do that, and then take her daughter home. They could figure everything else out then.

"Let's get you to the hospital, Rach. You need to get checked out," Shelby said, sounding far calmer than she felt at the moment.

Rachel snapped her head up to look at her mom, her crying coming to an abrupt stop in her shock. She was expecting to be yelled at or at least scolded, but her mom sounded so calm and collected. Maybe the woman really wasn't angry with her about any of it. Rachel hoped she'd get lucky with her mom, at least. Her dads were another story.

Shelby began leading Rachel to her _Jeep_ when LeRoy spoke up, "Where's your cell phone, Rachel?"

Rachel paused and turned to face her father again. "I…I think it's in the car, Daddy," she said, unsure why he was asking her where it was anyway.

"Alright, I'll get it. You've lost that as well, young lady," he said.

"Yes, sir," Rachel said meekly. She sighed, but overall, she could handle having her phone and the use of the car taken away. If that was as much punishment as she was going to get for this, then that was just fine with Rachel.

LeRoy sighed and made his way over to his daughter, pulling her in for a hug. As angry as he was with her actions, he was still immensely grateful that she was ok. "I love you," he said into the girl's hair, holding onto her tightly for another moment before pulling away. "We'll take care of the car and then head over to the hospital," he added to Shelby.

"I love you, Rachel," Hiram said as he too hugged the girl.

"Love you too, Dad. I'm sorry," Rachel said into his chest. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent for a moment, letting herself be comforted by it.

"We'll see you both soon," Hiram said before he and LeRoy made their way over to the _Camry_.

"I'm so sorry, Mama," Rachel said once she and Shelby were in the _Jeep_ heading towards _Lima Memorial Hospital_. "Are you mad?"

Shelby sighed. Of course she was mad. She knew Rachel knew better than to text and drive. They had had thousands of conversations on the subject, and she thought Rachel understood the dangers and consequences—and not just consequences she would face from her parents, but life consequences.

Rachel grew tense at her mother's silence. She bit her lip and tried to wait patiently for the woman to speak.

"Mom?" Rachel asked quietly after a few more minutes. She couldn't handle the silence anymore.

"I'm upset, Rach. And disappointed that you were texting and driving," Shelby said simply. She wouldn't lie to her girl.

"Mom, I—"

"But mostly, I'm just so relieved you are ok. I can't even imagine what I would do if you had been seriously hurt," Shelby said, her voice cracking emotionally. "I love you so much, Rachel Barbra."

"I love you too, Mom. I'm so sorry," Rachel said, her tears starting back up. "I'm in a lot of trouble, aren't I?"

Shelby sighed. She wasn't at all sure how she was going to handle this situation. Rachel was hardly ever in any trouble, and most of the time, a stern word or two was enough to put her girl back on the right track. That would certainly not be the case this time, and Shelby knew that. There were several different punishments Shelby was considering, but now was not the time for punishment. She needed to make sure Rachel was ok first and foremost. Punishment could come later.

"Yes Rachel, you're in a lot of trouble," Shelby finally said.

The next three days were pure torture for both Rachel and Shelby. Rachel felt like she had been run over by a truck she was so sore, and she was anxious about her upcoming punishment. She couldn't figure out why her mother hadn't just told her how long she was grounded for. Every time she had tried to bring it up, her mother had simply told her not to worry about it just yet, that they would be discussing it in a few days.

Shelby was constantly changing her mind about how to punish Rachel. She wanted to give the girl a few days to recuperate because the ER doctor had said that while Rachel hadn't sustained any injuries, some soreness was normal following a car accident.

That day finally came and Rachel was ready to just get the lecture and sentence over and done with so she could move on.

Shelby was just as ready to have this whole ordeal behind them as well. "Come into the living room with me, Rach," she said.

Rachel sighed and followed her mother into the living room. She took a seat on the sofa while Shelby sat on the edge of the coffee table so she could be eye level with her daughter.

"I'm very disappointed in your choices, Rach. Driving is not a game, and choosing to text and drive is extremely dangerous. Look what happened to you. It could have been so much worse!" Shelby began, her words coming easily. She had been thinking about everything she had wanted to say to Rachel for days now.

"I'm sorry, Mama," Rachel said, tears already welling in her eyes. The guilt she had felt the day of the accident was coming back tenfold now.

"I know you are, Rach. You are a good girl. You made an awful mistake. It's my job to make sure you never make this mistake again, do you understand?" Shelby said gently. She hated to see her daughter crying.

"Yes, ma'am," Rachel sniffled, unable to meet her mother's eye any longer.

"Do you understand why texting and driving is so dangerous, Rachel?"

"Yes, Mom. I-I could have gotten h-hurt," Rachel cried.

"Yes, you could have. You were risking so much when you chose to text and drive. You risked your life, and the lives of others. What if you had hurt that man you hit? What if you had hit someone walking instead—a child? You are so lucky that the accident really wasn't all that serious. But what if it was, Rachel? What if I had lost you?" Shelby said, in a firm but gentle voice. She didn't want to yell at Rachel, she wanted the girl to understand the dangers and why it was so wrong. She needed Rachel to learn from this mistake so she would never even _think_ about doing it again.

Rachel was crying steadily now and flung herself forward into her mother's arms. She really hadn't thought about any of that when she had sent that quick text to Kurt the other day. She had done it a million times before and nothing had ever happened. And it had all happened so fast…Rachel could still see the brake lights from the car in front of her and could hear the horrible screech from her Dad's car as she slammed on her brakes. The impact had felt like it was happening in slow motion, and then all of a sudden had sped up. The sound of the crash was incredible, it had sounded like a bomb went off.

"There's other things you were risking too—perhaps not as fragile as your life or those of others, but certainly just as serious. You could have gotten pulled over for your stunt, Rach, and given a ticket—hell, you're lucky the police officers didn't give you one at the accident. That ticket would have meant points on your license, and maybe even suspension of it, given your age. Your fathers' car insurance can go up for that. It probably will go up because you were in that accident today. Insurance companies can drop you if you receive too many tickets or get into too many accidents. That would not only affect you, but your dads. Did you think about any of this, Rachel?" Shelby continued, noting her daughter's cries escalading the more she went on.

"I'm s-sorry, Mama! I won't e-ever do it again!" Rachel sobbed.

"I know you won't, Rachel," Shelby reassured her daughter, holding her close for a moment. "I'm going to make sure of that," she added, her tone turning serious.

The change in her mother's tone didn't go unnoticed by Rachel, who stiffened in her mother's arms.

"H-how long am I grounded?" Rachel sobbed, never lessening her hold on her mom.

"You're not," Shelby said, and Rachel pulled away to stare at her incredulously.

Shelby cupped Rachel's face in her hands and brushed away her tears with her thumbs. "I've thought long and hard about what punishment I was going to hand out, Rachel, and I just don't think a grounding is going to do it. I need you to understand just how serious this is and how serious _I_ am. I'm afraid you've earned yourself a spanking, young lady," she said.

"Wh-what? Mom! No, I—You haven't spanked me since I was ten…I-I'm too old!" Rachel sputtered, shocked at her mother's words.

"Just because I haven't had to spank you in six years does not mean you are too old for that punishment. You just haven't done anything serious enough to make me have to choose it," Shelby replied, remaining firm. She had decided on this punishment the day of the accident, and while she had waffled back and forth some since then, she was sure this was the right choice for this situation.

"Mama, please," Rachel begged, giving her mom sad, tear-filled puppy eyes.

"C'mon, Rach. Let's get this over with," Shelby said, standing up and holding her hand out for her daughter.

Rachel stared at her mother's proffered hand like it was going to bite her. Actually, that was the hand that was going to be igniting a fire in her backside in a few minutes, Rachel realized bitterly.

"Rachel," Shelby said, her tone taking on a bit of warning. She didn't want to make this more difficult than it had to be, and she sincerely hoped her daughter wouldn't either.

Rachel sighed and took her mother's hand, allowing the woman to help her up from the sofa before leading her towards the stairs.

Shelby lay on her bed with Rachel on her stomach beside her, crying and clinging to Shelby like her life depended on it. Shelby was trying hard to keep her own tears at bay. She had forgotten just how hard it was to spank her baby. She had done it though, and it was over, but it was one of the hardest things she ever had to do. She had ignored each and every one of Rachel's cries of _"Mama, please stop!"_ or _"I'll be good, I promise!"_ She continued to blister her daughter's bare bottom until the girl finally gave in and accepted her punishment. She had stopped the spanking then and pulled Rachel into her arms, planning on holding the girl for as long as she needed and wanted.

Rachel couldn't believe how much her bottom stung. She had forgotten how much her mom's spankings hurt in the six years since she had last found herself draped over her mother's lap. Her mom definitely hadn't gone easy on her. Rachel found herself tearing up after only the third swat, and full-out crying by the seventh. Her mother wasn't swayed by her whines and completely ignored all her kicking and squirming. It wasn't until Rachel went limp and simply cried her heart out over her mom's lap, no longer fighting her punishment, that her mom finally stopped spanking her. Shelby had taken a moment to gently rub Rachel's red bottom to help ease the sting before pulling the girl's underwear and sweatpants back up. Rachel was relieved when her mom helped her off her lap and settled her on the bed next to her to be loved up.

"Mom, I'm sorry," cried Rachel, hugging her mother more tightly.

"I know you are, sweetheart. It's all over," Shelby soothed.

"Mama?"

"Yes?"

"Will you sing to me?" Rachel asked, wiping her nose on her mother's sleeve without even thinking about it.

Shelby couldn't help but roll her eyes at the action. Even at sixteen, Rachel was still very much a kid—and for that, Shelby was forever thankful. "Of course I'll sing to you, darling," she said.

As Shelby sang, Rachel's crying turned to sniffles and hiccups while her eyelids began to flutter. Shelby started to rock them gently, lulling Rachel into sleep like she did when the girl was younger.

"Mama," Rachel mumbled in her sleep.

"I'm here," soothed Shelby, running a hand over her daughter's forehead to brush the hair from her face.

"Don't leave me," the girl whined, sighing deeply.

"Never, baby. Mama's here," Shelby said, kissing Rachel's head.

"_Mama…"_

"_Mama…"_

"_Mama…"_

"Mama!" Rachel called for the one-hundredth time. What was going on with her mother? The woman was staring off into space.

Startled, Shelby jumped slightly and turned to see her daughter, standing there in her wedding dress and holding her veil out to her mother.

"Oh Rachel," Shelby breathed, getting up to help secure Rachel's veil. "You're beautiful." She felt tears well in her eyes.

Rachel beamed at the praise and hugged her mother tightly. "I love you, Mama," Rachel said.

"I love you too, my darling," Shelby said, kissing Rachel's cheek. Her beautiful, twenty-six year old daughter was about to be married. She just couldn't believe it. Just a moment ago, her daughter was a child, and now, she stood before her a woman. When did she grow up?

* * *

**That's it. I hope you liked it. As always, I love hearing from you all. Your reviews and PMs never fail to make my day! If it weren't for readers like you, I wouldn't be writing. So thank you, all of you—whether you review or not. I continue to write because of you. **


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